Welcome :)

Well how we play out combat and declaring actions?

We roll initative?

Sera would try a called shot with a dagger and aim at Danas knife/hand to knock away her knife.  Unless someone else try something before her. 

What difficulty would that be?

Very small thing to hit but on the positive side it is still and displayed. 

So far, we're at a stand-off, so I haven't declared that we roll initiative.

When there is a reason to fight (like after you throw a knife at Dana) I'll ask the party to roll initiative, and I'll pull up a combat grid. From there, we'll post in initiative order until the battle is over.

As for disarming Dana, we'll use the standard rules for a Disarm attempt:

A creature can use a weapon attack to knock a weapon or another item from a target’s grasp. The attacker makes an attack roll contested by the target’s Strength (Athletics) check or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check. If the attacker wins the contest, the attack causes no damage or other ill effect, but the defender drops the item.

The attacker has disadvantage on its attack roll if the target is holding the item with two or more hands. The target has advantage on its ability check if it is larger than the attacking creature, or disadvantage if it is smaller.

Since Dana is scared and conflicted, I'm going to say you have advantage on this throw.

If you want to attempt to pierce her hand and make her drop the dagger we'll borrow from the Disarming Attack Combat Maneuver. Roll an Athletics, Acrobatics, or Sleight of Hand check (DC 15) to see if you can use the ability as if you had it, then follow the rules of the disarming attack.

She prefer not harm Dana but aim at her dagger.

She use her  Channel Divinity: Guided Strike Starting at 2nd level, you can use your Channel Divinity to strike with supernatural accuracy. When you make an attack roll, you can use your Channel Divinity to gain a +10 bonus to the roll. You make this choice after you see the roll, but before the DM says whether the attack hits or misses.

Hi everyone!! :D

And cue the other new player, thomasgerardbradshaw who is playing the part of Ebrius, the Bloodhunter Barbarian who is witness to a heinous crime.

Hi and welcome :)

Words cannot accurately express how disappointed I am at how small the battle map came up after I posted it. 😅

I'm so bad at tables in HTML! Why did it resize all my columns???

I have started to re-read your character sheets and apply updates to them to include what you benefits and pitfalls to your backstory. It's taking a while, because I also have to refresh my knowledge of Dragonlance lore while doing it.

But, whenever I add something I try to put it under *** DM NOTES *** so you can tell it's me adding it.

That’s awesome! 

No worries about the HTML, LOL. 

it is looking good :) I got lots of new notes. And job possibilities! I need a few months downtime! ;)

I wonder since the darn hinges on the cage have AC 19 and 20 hp ( it is more easy to kill an ogre lol )

How can a crowbar and skill in carpentry work out? Like hinges are on doors and windows Sera probably came across before in her work. 

That method will fit under the terms of lockpicking, or thievery skillsets usually, and 5E doesn't have a skill for that. So, it would be either a STR or DEX check. I'm going to say you can use your proficiency bonus with your crowbar when trying to remove the pins from the hinges to remove the cage door, but even removing a wooden door that way isn't exactly fast and easy. I do a lot of repairs around the house, and even with modern tools, it still takes a few minutes to get a door off its hinges.

I will offer this, though.

You can use Sera's knowledge and skill to Help. Using your crowbar to pry while Hastos kicks at a weak point on the cage, Hastos gains advantage on the attack, and the HP is reduced to 5.

Or, I mean... like Dana probably has the keys or knows where they are. 😊

Haha, I’m not getting a super helpful vibe from Dana.

Quote from MrUncleTio >>

Haha, I’m not getting a super helpful vibe from Dana.

 I'm pretty sure that's what Intimidation checks are for. 😉

Is that Athletic check “3” or “-3” ? 

NM, I forgot I can go look. :-)  

Quote from Inexorabletruth >.   I'm pretty sure that's what Intimidation checks are for. 😉

 
If only I could use the Bene Gesserit voice.

Quote from MrUncleTio >>

Quote from Inexorabletruth >.   I'm pretty sure that's what Intimidation checks are for. 😉

 
If only I could use the Bene Gesserit voice.

 😅

I'll admit, this fight is a little goofy. When Albert drunkenly swatted at Dana I was sure I was in for some comic relief as Dana positively manhandles an old drunken pacifist healer. But she lost the DC! So, now we've got this situation:

While Sera, Hastos, and Arvos try to Wile-E-Coyote their way past that lock.

Meanwhile, Theron is on the ground fighting for his life against essentially nick-and-scratch attacks. 😄 I feel like this battle needs a Benny Hill theme song. And if you don't know the song, you probably do, but know it by another name.

Haha! Totally a “Yakkety Sax” situation.

This will be a very interesting battle. I don’t think Hastos knows who to root for at the moment!

Yes this us a totally messed up  lol. I think on Benny hill too. But why Hastos made referenses to the bleeding out guy on the altar to be "killed"? He lay there faking? If he rise and joins in we have totally chaos. 

It seems silly, yes, but there is logic in the madness. 😅

What's happening now is a result of stuff various PCs in the game have known about, or been given hints about, since the first in-game day. Dana's just one of the side-plots that have been active and running and so she's sort of been down here doing this stuff unchecked. And it's part of a greater plot that was introduced when a former PC defeated a would-be assassin who was using the very same scythe that Theron is now slashing away with. That PC, Bran (Paladin of Paladine), dealt the killing blow and then felt it call to him. After claiming it, he began to experience a nagging inner turmoil as the scythe kept urging him into combat. One way or another (to be disclosed later) it resulted in his death.

Arvos and Albert know what's going on... sort of. But other characters (like Darian, Nare, and Bran, who are all former members of The Golden Company) had the other pieces of the puzzle that makes more of this arc make sense. As Dana's captive, Hastos has a very random and disjointed-seeming piece of the puzzle regarding the Sargonnas subplot, but really has no idea how deep this rabbit hole goes. As the current wielder of Ibahalii Vriwhulth, Theron has an important, but intentionally unclear piece of the puzzle. Ebrius knows what she saw, and her sense of justice (or maybe the scythe is calling to her?) gives her some perspective on the story arc. Also, she's one of the early settlers to Santekh and has been watching The Golden Company do great things to help the refugees here. So she's understandably pissed that someone murdered Bran. But poor Sera... a fresh-off-the-boat initiate to the burgeoning mercenary band, is justifiably sooooo confused. 😄

It's a murder-mystery, religious horror, wrapped inside a conspiracy!! 😊

I always struggle with balancing the intrigue. Sometimes, I make the hints too subtle, and no one even explores the hook. There are currently 5 sub-plots that at least one active member of your party has been made aware of, and 9 that have been introduced to the campaign total. Other times, I share too much and spoil the surprise. Getting the balance right is not my strength. But if you're all confused in a good way, then I'm doing my job correctly. If you're all confused in a bad way, then I need to recalibrate.